Friday, July 6, 2012

Getting away from my desk in these post-social media days sometimes means picking the lock on my ankle manacle. I managed it a week or so ago and galloped happily off down South Boulevard.

That's how I finally had a chance to stop into Savory Spice Shop at the Atherton Mill complex in South End, which opened last wwinter.

It took a few minutes to find it. Since the original announcements came in the Atherton Market newsletter, I thought it was a kiosk inside the market. Actually, Savory is in a storefront, around the corner from Zucca Pizza, facing on South and nearest to the end of the mill building by Tremont Avenue. (Sorry, that's the best description I can come up with.)

Savory is a franchise of a spice company based in Colorado. They stock more than 400 herbs and spices, most in glass jars so you can buy anything from a 1/2 ounce up. You're also encouraged to taste and smell samples and just brush them into the floor when you're done.

There's a staff-picks shelf with recipes (someone named Steven apparently really like mustard seeds) and they're doing wedding favors in tiny bags. Clever idea if you're looking for a party favor option. During the summer grilling season, it's also a good place to look for rubs for grilling.

The official address is 2000 South Blvd.; hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. There's also a location in Birkdale Village in Huntersville.

Find more about the shops (and maybe get a better idea on those directions) on Facebook; look for SavorySpiceShopCharlotteSouthend.

3
comments:

Jim Pierson
said...

Savory Spice also opened in Greensboro in Friendly Center about the same time. I wonder if it's the same franchisee. Anyway, I was like a kid in a candy store and had to cut myself off. They had everything I was looking for, including grains of paradise. Unfortunately this store was also a bit difficult to locate. It is on the east side of the Harris Teeter anchor. The prices on a lot of the basic stuff is cheaper than the things you find on the McCormick shelf in the grocery store.

Books by Kathleen Purvis

"Bourbon: A Savor the South Cookbook," and "Pecans: A Savor the South Cookbook" are part of the UNC Press series on Southern cooking. Each one has more than 50 recipes for drinks, appetizers, main dishes, side dishes and desserts, part of a series with two dozen books on Southern ingredients and occasions.

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About this blog

Observer food editor Kathleen Purvis is a food journalist, cook and eater who focuses on food in Charlotte, the Carolinas, the South and beyond. She's a member of the Association of Food Journalists, the Southern Foodways Alliance and the James Beard Foundation awards committee. She also writes regularly for Our State magazine and other publications. Send questions and feedback to kpurvis@charlotteobserver.com.